Let's get spicy!

So if you aren't from the southwest you may not have heard about this thing we call green chili. It can be smothered on just about anything or eaten as a meal all by itself. I know it may sound strange to die hard chili fans but this is seriously one of the best things there is to eat! This happens to be one of my hubby's favorite things to eat, so I've tried all sorts of recipes over the years to find that "perfect" dish. I finally got it with the addition of my secret ingredient...the poblano pepper. I never knew about this fantastic pepper until we went on a trip to Mexico last year and ever since, it's been my new favorite pepper. It isn't spicy and has an amazing flavor, which comes out in this chili. The serrano pepper does add a bit of spice, so if you don't things quite so spicy leave it out. If you do, though, it will be a spicy time!

What's cooking in my kitchen this week:
Caite's Spicy Green Chili

What you'll need:
3-4 lb pork shoulder roast
24 oz hot green chiles, roasted and diced
2 poblano peppers
1 serrano pepper
2 jalapeño peppers
1 sweet onion
3 tomatillos
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
64 oz (2 boxes) chicken broth
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
olive oil
paper bag

How to make it:
You can either make this in a big pot on the stove, or in the crock pot all day (8-9 hours) on low. This time around, I made in a pot on the stove and then transferred to the crock pot to keep warm.

To get started, you will need to roast the fresh peppers. Pre-heat oven to 400° F and place peppers in baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and make sure peppers are coated.

Bake 20-25 minutes. While peppers are roasting, dice up the tomatillos and onion and then place in bowl.

Place peppers in paper bag and fold down and let rest 10 -15 minutes. Once peppers are done resting, remove skins and then take tops off and inside seed guts. Dice up peppers and place in bowl with tomatillos and onions. If you have fresh green chiles, you can place them in bowl, if you are using frozen ones (like I did this time as I can't get fresh green chiles in winter) keep them separate until later.

Trim fat off of pork shoulder and dice into small cubes. Season cubed pork with salt, ground black pepper and half minced garlic.

Warm chicken stock in large pot over medium-high heat to almost boiling. In smaller pot, melt butter and then whisk in flour to make roux. Cook for 1 -2 minutes, until roux is golden brown. Add roux to chicken stock and whisk around until roux is dissolved in stock. Add pork, diced green chiles, tomatillos, onions, and other diced peppers to pot. Add salt, ground black pepper, remaining minced garlic, ground cumin, and Mexican oregano.

Cook chili for 3-4 hours, until pork is done and tender. If chili isn't as thick as you would like it,  add a corn starch slurry to thicken as you would like it. Enjoy!

Did you know?
On this day in 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. is incorporated as the first U.S. railroad chartered to carry passengers and freight.